Slow roast ras el hanout lamb & couscous

 

Slow roast ras el hanout lamb & couscous

Let this shoulder of lamb do all the work in your oven. It smells like North African spices, and the couscous soaks up the juices from the pan.

Ingredients

• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 6 tbsp ras el hanout spice mix (shop-bought or see tip, below)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• small shoulder of lamb (about 2kg)
• 2 red onions, cut into large wedges
• 400g couscous
• 100g raisins
• 400g can chickpeas, drained
• small bunch of parsley, chopped
• small bunch of coriander, chopped

Method

Using a pestle and mortar or a small chopper, mash or chop the garlic with a generous pinch of salt. Add the lemon juice, ras el hanout spice mix, and olive oil, then pound or chop to make a rough paste. Make small cuts all over the lamb with a small knife. Place the lamb in a large, shallow casserole dish or deep roasting tin. Then, rub the paste all over the lamb and into the cuts. Leave out at room temperature for 1 hour, or even better, cover and put in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to cook, set the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Spread the onion wedges around the lamb, then cover the dish tightly with a lid or foil and roast for 3 hours. Take it out of the oven and turn it over. Mix the onions and baste the lamb with the juices, then turn the oven up to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and roast the lamb, uncovered, for another 25–30 minutes, until it is browned.

Put the onions and lamb on a board to rest, and turn on the kettle. Mix the couscous and raisins into the lamb dish so they are covered in the roasting juices. Pour boiling water from the kettle over the couscous to just cover it, then cover the dish and let it sit for 5 minutes. Uncover the couscous and fluff it up with a wooden spoon. Mix in the chickpeas, chopped herbs, preserved lemon or lemon juice, and any other seasonings you like. Bring the lamb, onions, and couscous to the table so that they can be served.

Information

Couscous is a type of pasta that was first made in North Africa and then spread to other parts of the Mediterranean.

Couscous is made from a dough made of semolina that is boiled, dried, and then broken into small pieces. 

Once it is rehydrated, you can add salt and butter or serve it plain with broths made from vegetables or meat or fruit juices.